Thursday 5 March 2026

Today is Thursday the 5th of March, in the second week of Lent. To help us enter into prayer today, we will hear the song Imbere Yanje, by Judah Earl, sung in Rundi: ‘Answer me my God, for it is to you that I pray...I called to the Lord, He heard my cry...I have no one else but you Father... I have placed the Lord ever before me.’ Let the beauty of this song of prayer wash over you, and place the Lord 'ever before' you as you listen... Unyishure Mwami wanje Kuko ari wewe nsenga N’bariye Uhoraho Ijwi ryanje uranyuvma Unyishure Mwami wanje Kuko ari wewe nsenga Ntawundi mfise atari wewe Data Ntamugisha mfise atari wewe S’mfise ichiza inyuma yawe Nashize imana imbere yanje Nashize imana imbere yanje Ntawundi mfise atari wewe Data Ntamugisha mfise atar’ wewe s’mfise ichiza unyuma yawe Nashize imana imbere yanje Answer me my God For it is to you that I pray I called to the Lord He heard my cry Answer me my Lord For it is to you that I pray I have no one else but you Father I have no one else but you I have no good apart from you I have placed the lord ever before me I have placed the lord ever before me I have no one else but you Father I have no blessing apart from you I have no good apart from you I have placed the lord ever before me Today’s reading is from the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 17:5-10 Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse— who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings. In today’s reading, Jeremiah calls to mind two kinds of people. Imagine walking through a desert landscape. Take notice of the heat, the breeze, the ground underfoot. You pause at a change in the terrain. “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings… Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” To one side, a desert shrub turns in on itself - branches brittle, surviving on shallow roots, awaiting rain that may never come. To the other side, a sister plant stands tall near running water, roots deep, filled with life. Ask yourself, gently and honestly: Which plant resembles your inner life right now? What voices shape your life? Notice that the barren plant carries no guilt - it is misplaced, starved of what it needs. It has trusted soil that cannot sustain it. Misplaced trust slowly dries the heart. What does it mean to be in touch with a greater truth: God’s wisdom and love? As we hear the passage again, consider where your roots are shallow and what brings you close to living water. Jeremiah 17:5-10 Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse— who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings. “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.” In this time of prayer, offer your needs to the Lord and rest in God’s blessing. You have given all to me To you, Lord, I return it Everything is Yours Do with it what You will Give me only Your love and Your grace That is enough for me Amen